Jade Diaries: Taipei Adventures 2003
by Raikun Tabris
Summary: Called back into action once more, four adolescents from Taipei must face up to the crises they have long ignored both digital and personal. Set in the world of Lord Archive's Diaries Universe.
1. Entry 1: Back to Before

Disclaimer: Digimon doesn�t belong to me: it belongs to Toei Animation and Akiyoshi Hongo. The Diaries Universe belongs to the great Lord Archive, who was kind enough to let me use it to make my own fan fiction. Many thanks Archive, on a second thought. Anyway, the only thing that really belongs to me is the plot and characters, so nyak, don't steal them.

" " denotes English

- - denotes Mandarin

* * *

_�Ah mi tou fou, ah mi tou fou, ah mi tou fou��_

Inside an older, Taiwanese temple, a lone monk kneeled on the floor in front of various gold and jade idols. Chanting in Chinese, he tapped a small wooden block before him monotonously, never missing a beat. Buddha sat on the pedestal within the temple, made of solid gold and smiling amiably, while the protection goddess Kwannon stood an eternal vigil behind him.

�_Ah mi tou fou, ah mi tou fou, ah mi tou fou��_

Cicadas cricketed and birds chirped outside, yet the bald headed man continued his mantra, not stopping or skipping a beat. Although peeling and broken down, the temple still gave an air of serenity and peace, a refuge for those seeking calm.

The monk stopped his beating and picked up the bell beside him. Raising it to eye level, he rang it, then set it down and resumed tapping the block. His eyelids opened heavily and fell upon a glass case in the center of the pedestal. Within the translucent block, the jade statuette of a man holding a fish-drum gazed back at the monk, reassuring him of safety and peace. His qualms gone, the monk resumed his chanting.

�_Ah mi tou fou, ah mi tou fou, ah mi tou��_

The miniature drumstick dropped and the man�s eyes half opened. He almost didn�t notice the wide, red hand tipped with sharpened fingers that pierced his chest and were now wiggling in front of him. They withdrew and the monk fell over, prone and lifeless. Blood poured freely from the five open gashes in his chest, staining the yellow robes he was wearing with crimson liquid.

Just outside of the old temple, several other monks lay in grotesque positions, many with a mixture of shock and alarm frozen within their dead faces. Large gashes hid the features of an old, bearded man, while the decapitated remains of another lay sitting on a chair. Ruby red droplets of blood flowed down the peeling, whitewash walls as the smell of rotting corpses wafted through the air.

Peals of sinister giggles seemingly floated through the air as the glass case melted away. Once the translucent substance was completely gone, the jade statuette�s soft, emerald glow was revealed. The figurine floated up slowly, then towards the outstretched red hand. Crimson claws closed around the model of the old man and its owner cackled delightfully.

-I�ll be taking this, thanks�- It purred before darkness enveloped the entity and it vanished.

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Jade Diaries � Taiwan Adventures 2003

By Raikun Tabris

Entry 1 � Back to Before

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�This blows.�

A short, scrawny Asian teenager with glasses muttered as he trudged down the streets of Tien Mu. Behind him, his black backpack slid on the ground, nearly bursting at the seams from being filled with binders, books, and various pieces of paper. �Spring break�s just over and we�re starting the stupid train project.�

�Cheer up, Winston.� A hand clapped his shoulder and Winston turned around to see the grinning face of one of his best friends, Phillip. The tanned boy picked up the bursting bag and carefully removed several books, then set the bag back down. �Sheesh, why�d you have to carry everything in your bag? Don�t you know about something called a locker?�

�I�d forget something if I put things in my locker.� Winston grumbled and shouldered his bag. Phillip handed his pale friend his various books and gave him a look. �What, what�s wrong?�

�Ah, nothing,� The Chinese boy put his hands in his pockets and followed Winston to wherever he was going. �Art and I are going to 2002 after school. Want to come with us?�

Glasses looked as if he were about to agree, then remembered something and the brown eyes became wistful. �Aw, damn. Sorry, I can�t.� Phillip looked questioningly at him and Winston quickly thought of something. �Homework. Uh, yeah, I have to redo an essay for Kirkwood.�

Although he was still suspicious of the answer, Phillip shrugged it off. �Fine. Your loss.� The two found themselves at a T intersection road and he went one way, while Winston went the other. �Bye then.�

�Bye,� The gaunt teen looked around carefully for people. He saw none and sighed dejectedly. �Being a Chosen seriously sucks sometimes.� With that, he entered the Aztec cafe.

------------------

�Sorry I�m late.�

Inside the VIP room of the Aztec caf�, three other fatigued teens were waiting for Winston. A tall, athletic guy with wild black hair by the name of Victor, sat at a computer typing speedily. His brown eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and he rubbed them tiredly, before resuming his clicking. Though he spent much of his times outdoors playing sports, somehow, his complexion was unusually white.

Alexander, a teen with neatly cut, raven colored hair sat stretched out on the comfortable couches. In his lap was a typical chemistry textbook, through which he was flipping through slowly. Yawning loudly, he absentmindedly pushed up the sleeves of his gray sweater and printed something on his notes neatly.

The last one, Isabelle, with long flowing obsidian hair with occasional brown streaks, was writing down a note in her notebook with multi colored pens while sitting cross legged on a computer table. Bright, lively colors adorned her nails and a matching moon necklace and earrings served as decoration. Strangely, sapphire colored eyes took the place of the typical Asian brown ones upon her face.

�Took long enough,� Isabelle replied without looking up. She messily colored in a few more flashy, neon letters, and then gave Winston a look. �What held you up?�

�Ugh, teachers. Professor Pirer wanted to know why I missed my last three homework assignments.� The bespectacled youngster dragged his bag the booth he shared with his friends and plopped himself onto a couch. �What the hell am I supposed to do? Tell him I�m going around Taiwan saving the world?�

�Not like you could tell him that portals have been opening up sporadically.� Alexander sighed and closed the chemistry textbook with a loud �thump�. His chair swiveled around and he looked at Victor, who was engrossed in a Legend of Zelda based text based RPG. �Anything new, Vic?�

�Nuthin� much.� The wild haired teen replied offhandedly as his wide, brown eyes scanned the computer monitor. �There�s nothing that really connects Hualien, Ilan, and Kaoshiung other than that fact they�re all Taiwan cities.� He mumbled something about �skull tons and pigeon� before resuming his typing. �Unless you count that robbery last night important.�

�Eww, you mean the bloody temple on the news last night?� Isabelle replied and made a face. Pulling a comb from her hot pink bag, she combed her hair carefully. �That�s super gross. Who would kill all those monks just to get a jade statue?�

�Probably someone who wanted to become a god.� Everyone looked at Victor and he shrugged. �Not my fault my brother rented Double Vision yesterday.�

�We should just consult with Babamon and keep up the searching. There�s got to be a reason why portals have been opening up in random places.� Their �leader� Alexander rubbed his chin furiously. �Portals don�t open up for no reason.�

�You guys want anything to drink?� The teens turned to see Justin, Isabelle�s brother and owner of Aztec, nearby with a tab and pen in his hands. �Coke? Sprite? Usual?�

�We could all do with some caffeine.� Isabelle chirped cheerfully, not sounding a single bit tired. �Two Iced Teas, One Coke, and One Diet Sprite for me.� She flashed a sweet smile to her brother.

�Right on it, Sis,� The tall man scribbled something on the tab and walked away, leaving the Chosen to talk amongst themselves. He returned soon with drinks and left them on the table. �Pay at the counter, as usual.�

Winston gave the long haired girl a look. �Caffeine. Great. I�m sure that�ll stop the portals from opening,� He quipped dryly as he picked up his beverage.

�At least they�ll help you lose that grumpy mood you�re in.� Isabelle beamed sweetly as she sipped her Diet Sprite. The teen grumbled and she giggled.

------------------

Taipei is a busy city, rivaling Japan and Hong Kong in population per acre. There�s always a shop open and there are always people doing something, even at 3 AM in the morning. Whether it was someone yelling out his discount on boiled tempura, or the ding of the door of a convenience store opening, or the radio of an old man playing crackled music, Taiwan never slept.

That�s what Witchmon loved about the place. It never died down or became boring. Someone was always awake and a person awake meant another person she could scare. The sorceress giggled at that thought and flew faster through the streets of Tien Mu, stopping atop an intersection.

The jade statuette of the fish-drum bearing Zhang Guo Lao pulsed faintly with emerald light. Witchmon�s long claws closed around them and she whispered the secret magical words of Witchelny. Magic focused into her palm and the ornament vanished into nothing.

-Now what was it she wanted me to do�?- The magical digimon questioned aloud. Her black cat, Luna, purred contentedly as Witchmon counted her errands on her long, slender fingers. -Ah yes. Open another portal. Of course.-

A gleam of the pleasure in disruption filled her eyes as she watched several people crossed the streets. Kids laughed in delight from the freedom of being out of school. Adults walked by silently, immersed deep in thought. Several community bulletin boards were swathed in ads for apartments and requests for English tutors, most of them torn up and dirty. Street vendors hawked loudly about their discounts and wide eyed little kids watched with wonder at the sugar coated strawberries and tomatoes.

She raised her hand palm up and closed her eyes. Crimson lipstick coated lips moved silently as mystical energy coursed through the witch and she evoked the power within her digicore. Her sapphire eyes opened and she uttered one word.

-Open.-

Strangely, the air above the Shi Dong Traditional Market began shimmering. Mist seeped through a small hole, though it was a sunny day. Several people were confused as their cell phones and PDAs flickered and malfunctioned. Some swore loudly in Chinese.

Electricity crackled around the air and an enormous, flaming pig dropped through it. It looked around, puzzled, and began roaring in anger. The portal coursed with electricity again and a golden haired ape dropped through it. Hanumon screeched loudly as Boarmon charged at him and attempted to ram the ape into the marketplace. Lastly, an onyx colored black wolf crashed through the portal. The viral Garurumon growled before joining in with the fighting. Electricity weakly pulsed through the small hole before closing completely.

Screams filled the air as people ran away from the dueling monsters. Cars backed up and slammed into bumpers when they tried to escape the mess. In other words, chaos was present and kickin�.

Cackling with relish, Witchmon mounted her broom and put Luna on her shoulder. Cloaking herself with magic, the witch digimon waited for one of the Chosen to come. She giggled madly and Luna meowed. -This will be fun�-

------------------

It was a rather strange sight to see Victor and his partner, the child sized Kotemon, walking on the streets. Thankfully, the kendo digimon passed off as a kid in a costume, so nobody really noticed him. The pale teen nursed a sore arm as the two limped their way home.

�Damn, Farmer�s volleyball training is going to kill me some day.� Victor groaned as the sore muscle pulsed with a fresh stab of pain. He shifted his bag from his left hand to the right, wincing slightly. If possible, he seemed even more pale than usual.

Kotemon sighed and held his hands palms up. �Your fault for not listening to me about stretching before exercise. He twisted his head to the side and a loud �CRICK� emitted from the child�s neck.�

�Yeah, that came all too late.� The human cricked his head to the side and sighed when he heard a loud clicking noise. Checking his watch, he saw it was almost five in the afternoon and his apartment building was just a few steps ahead. �Ah, a cold shower and some chips will do after crappy practice.�

The gods of irony decided at that moment to make Victor�s sea blue D3 begin beeping madly. Victor groaned and dropped his bag inside the lobby. Kotemon looked up curiously as his partner checked his digivice. �What is it?�

The teen�s eyebrows raised slightly. �Aww, crap. One, two, three digimon have just emerged from a portal! Dammit! There goes taking a shower and getting homework done on time.� Taking off in the portal�s direction, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialed in Winston�s number.

-Hello?-

�Winston, get your laptop and contact Alexander and Isabelle. Three digimon just emerged at Tien Mu market.� Victor said quickly and smoothly, before hanging up and shoving the phone back into his pocket. �Come on, Kotemon, we need to get there ASAP! Those digimon could be destroying my favorite tempura store!�

�Huff, huff, wait up!� The little blue digimon ran as fast as he could to keep up with his partner. His cobalt colored sleeves flapped in the wind as he struggled to follow Victor.

------------------

With Jay Chou wafting through his room, Alexander read from his chemistry book while typing up notes on his computer. Even without looking, he knew the words were typed in perfectly and in a format that would serve well during finals. After all, he'd been taught and trained by the best tutors of Taiwan to do so. �Density is the amount of mass in a set volume��

Patamon munched a cookie on his partner�s enormous queen sized bed and read from the latest Newsweek. He �hmmm�ed at something and shoved the entire Oreo into his wide open mouth. The bat pig reached to the side and picked up another black cookie and began devouring it as well.

Simultaneously, Alexander�s leaf green D3 began rapidly beeping as an MSN instant message popped up on the teen�s computer monitor. The little mammal hopped over and read it. �Alex, another portal opened.�

�I know, three digimon. Winston just messaged me.� The raven haired teen sighed, backed off his computer and opened his door. -Mother, I'm going out for an errand. I'll be right back.-

-Don�t stay out for more than an hour! It�s not safe out there!- came the distant reply of a woman busy with work. Classical music wavered through the air from a faraway room. Even though the Tsao family lived in an apartment, they had bought out an entire floor to themselves. Quite extravagant for only four people, but the money was to be flaunted, according to Chinese culture.

-I know, Mother.- Alexander sighed at his mother�s lack of concern. The teen walked over to his bed and lifted up Patamon in both hands. Opening his balcony window, he set his partner on the ledge and shoved his phone and D3 into the many pockets of his khakis. �Come on, we need to hurry.�

�Not like we have a choice,� The orange digimon reminded as he flapped his bat-like wings out into the outside and looked around carefully. Light shrouded Patamon in the form of a pillar. �Patamon evolve!� The radiance exploded as the little bat pig grew in size, revealing a winged unicorn. �Unimon!�

Carefully, Alexander climbed over the balcony and onto his digimon�s bare back. �Winston�s apartment, pronto!�

------------------

�Fox Fire!�

Garurumon growled and spat out azure flames at the underwear-clad mannequins of the nearby lingerie shop, setting them ablaze with blue fire and causing their owner to shriek in protest. The little kendo digimon of Kotemon leapt forth to stop the virus digimon, but had to back flip into a car to dodge Hanumon�s Bone Club. Screeching loudly, the ape smashed the steel cart of a street vendor and turned his attention to Garurumon. "Trying to calm them down is evidently beyond reason here. I'm going to need sufficient power.�

The tallest of the chosen nodded and raised his aquamarine D3 high. Though the device itself was small, magnificent light of enormous radiance shone through the small window. �Go for it!�

�Kotemon evolve!� The same light engulfed the small digimon as the wolf and ape wrestled with each other. The glow vanished and a masked, dragon-like man wielding dual kendo sticks took his place. �Yashamon!�

Immediately, the warrior digimon leapt into the fray in hopes of separating the two wild creatures and smashed both of them with his shockwave attack, Guardian Knot. Both animals were sent flying into a nearby bakery and shattered the glass windows. Yashamon sweatdropped. �I didn't mean for that to happen.�

�Careful, Floramon!� Isabelle bit her lip as her partner screamed and darted away from Boarmon�s Nose Blaster, a high temperature blast of air. �Don�t hurt him, but don't get hurt. �

�Don�t hurt him?� The flower digimon cried incredulously, dodging another air blast, which instead, obliterated what was left of the bakery. She doused the Courage armor with allergy pollen and was rammed into a bank building. �He�s going to kill me if I don�t hurt him somehow!�

The long haired girl hesitantly frowned, then nodded. Instantly, light surrounded the plant digimon, blinding the boar and causing it to back off and shield its eyes. �Floramon evolve!� Traditional Japanese music filled the air as a woman dressed in pink dancer�s clothing, a white mask, and had flowers for hands took the child�s place. �Kabukimon!�

�Cherry Blossom Storm!� She brought both hands towards the still stunned Boarmon. Turning black, razor sharp cherry blossoms flew out at the pig. The beast screeched in pain as several of them flew around him, scratching at his whole body. The boar snorted off enormous breaths of heated air, which Kabukimon nimbly rolled to the side to dodge.

The viral wolf howled in anger as the swordsman of purity bound its body with superior puppet master skills. Breaking away from his opponent�s invisible strings, Garurumon growled and leapt towards the fighter, biting hard into the dragon man�s shoulder. Instantly, ice coated the Yashamon�s right shoulder, causing the warrior to angrily fling the lupine to the side with a quick kendo stick smash, knocking the digimon out.

Hiding in the shadows, Hanumon took this moment to strike the temporarily weakened sword master. Its bone club collided with the back of Yashamon�s head with a loud, sickening crunch. The adult collapsed to his knees and reverted to the miniscule Kotemon. Raising his bone club high, the beastial ape prepared to give the finishing blow.

�Hagurumon evolve! Tankmon!�

Three falling gears shimmered with light as they fell to the ground, forming what looked like a psychotic tank cyborg. His guns whirring rapidly, Tankmon riddled Hanumon with digital bullets before he could delete his ally, even if he didn't exactly like Kotemon. The artificial simian screamed in agony and dropped his club while falling to the ground.

�Late, again, huh. What�s up with that?� Victor remarked dryly to the landing Unimon with two teens upon his back, feigning calm by folding his hands across his chest. The unicorn�s white wings flapped majestically as the adult flew close to the ground. Alexander leaned low on his partner and scooped up the unconscious Kotemon. Unimon landed nearby Isabelle and Victor and his partner handed the little digimon back to Victor. Both teens dismounted the flying digimon to allow him into battle. �Better than not at all. Why am I always late for these kind of things?�

"I'm not sure. Maybe the portals just like us better." Isabelle frowned as Boarmon blindly rammed at the deadly kabuki, smashing himself into a bulletin board instead. Tankmon wheeled in and blew the fiery boar high into the air, after which Unimon kicked him back down with a well placed kick. The berserk armor digimon crashed into a ground with a resounding boom, causing a miniature crater in the middle of the intersection �We�d better send them back soon. You brought the laptop, right?�

�No, I didn�t.� Winston snorted and rolled his eyes. He pointed at the laptop in his hands. �What do you think?�

�We don�t need sarcasm now, Win,� Alexander reminded while leaning over and checking the unconscious digimon. Several bruises lined the lupine�s body, while several bullet holes riddled Hanumon�s body. Clouds of smoke still obscured Boarmon from vision. �Ouch. These guys are in for some major hurt when they wake up.�

�It's my turn now. I never get to do this.� Whipping out her bright pink D3, Isabelle pointed it at the opened laptop in Winston�s arms. -Digimon World Gate Open!-

The Digital Gate program popped up suddenly in the black laptop and the screen burned with light. Radiance surrounded the three comatose digimon and they were soon sucked into the screen. Kabukimon, Unimon, and Tankmon moved towards their partners and glowed with light, devolving back into Floramon, Patamon, and Hagurumon.

�And we better be making our exit, before the cops find us here,� Victor reminded as the blare of police cars neared. The others nodded and went their separate directions.

------------------

Still invisible to all eyes, Witchmon and her black cat giggled with girlish glee as they watched the Chosen went their separate ways. Luna floated upwards and spun around in mid air, closing her eyes in luxury.

_Don�t forget your mission, wench. _A deep, dark, feminine voice resounded in the witch�s head. _Open a few more portals before obtaining the next target. _

All glee vanished from the mage�s face. She nodded in mid air and whispered, -Yes, _mistress_,- emphasizing the second word. Wind blew by harshly over the wrecked marketplace and Witchmon was gone.

------------------

Around a pit of eerily green flame, six figures stood motionless as they stared into the emerald fire.

**-It�s happening� just as the scriptures said**.- One figure, who seemed to be ablaze himself, stepped forward and waved a hand through the fire. He caught a handful of the fire. **-We will all be in danger.-**

**-There is nothing to be done about it**.- Another larger shadow stepped forth, rotound and bellowing. **-We know the future and have paid the price in doing so.-**

A third figure, hunched over on all fours, peered into the viridian flames, his eyes glittering. **-And what of the children?-**

**-We do nothing**.-

* * *

**Author�s Notes: **

Whew, my first Diaries entry! Took long enough, thanks to high school homework. Thanks goes to Lord Archive for letting me do this series, as well as proof reading, and my proof reading friends.


	2. Entry 2: Downtown Disaster

Disclaimer: Digimon doesn�t belong to me: it belongs to Toei Animation and Akiyoshi Hongo. The Diaries Timeline belongs to the great Lord Archive. Anyway, the only thing that really belongs to me is the plot and characters, so nyak.

* * *

� � English 

- - Chinese

--------------

Dear Diary,

Being a Chosen is too tiring. Between all these random portals opening, play practice, stu gov, and hmwk, I barely have any time for Di, and Lea, and�yea... Like Winston says, there�s never rest for the weary. Weary meaning us, I think. :P

Sometimes, I really want to know why the digimon picked us as the chosen? Why not somebody else? Seriously, I never wanted to be sent to some random world in computers to save the world. It�s just�too hard. .

At least it�s Fri and we can all relax! No hmwk, no stu gov, no play practice, and hopefully, no portals opening! Maybe I can go to a movie with Daph and the others. Kkz, can�t think of anything else 2 write about.

- A Private Entry From the Live Journal of Isabelle Jia Xing Lu

--------------

�Are you kidding me? Uh uh.� Isabelle rolled onto her back on her bed, long raven hair spilling like a waterfall over the other side. �That�s, like, so untrue. There�s no way Evan would go out with her!� She giggled and sighed into her miniature cellphone. It was really small enough to be ridiculous. �Yeah, I know. I haven�t gone out for such a long time. Like, the play�s almost beginning, and there�s so much homework, and the final exams, and��

At the other end of the room, Floramon hummed to herself as she flipped through one of her partner�s �Seventeen� magazines. Reading through the �Embarassing Moments� section, the plant digimon trimmed the cherry red petals growing around her neck and laughed girlishly. �Izzie, come here and read this! This is just hysterical!�

The girl covered the phone and called out, �I�ll be there in a sec!� Resuming her call, Isabelle replied, �Oh, just my sister. She wanted me to read some article in a mag.� Isabelle picked up a pen and twirled it around in her hand. �Hm? You�re going to the movies with Daphne and _ta men ah_? Uh huh�� She carefully wrote down on her Powerpuff Girls� notepad, taking caution not to stain her nail polish.

�Come on! It�s so funny!� Her partner called out from the other side of the room, stretching on one of Isabelle�s spare yoga mats with Seventeen in front of her. �Izzie!�

�Hold ON!� The girl shouted out again and returned to her call. �So it�s you, Daph, Kim, Laura, and Erica?� Isabelle smiled brightly and marked down another note. �I�ll be there!

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Jade Diaries � Taiwan Adventures 2003

By Raikun Tabris

Entry 2 � Downtown Disaster

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Like any other, normal, school, the Taipei American Academy was ablaze with shouts and cheers at exactly 3:15 on a Friday afternoon, exactly when all classes ended for everyone who was enrolled there. The only other time the students seemed any happier was when the holidays began.

�Oh, come on! The last portal was on Monday!� The only female chosen of the team whined as the team walked down a stingingly carrot orange spiral staircase. Shouldering her backpack, Isabelle continued her bleating. �Besides. You guys can handle any digimon attacks by yourselves, right? Kabukimon�s not any stronger than Tankmon or Unimon or Yashamon��

�Hey!� The pink backpack around the girl�s back shook violently. Tanemon�s long green stem and a single, glaring brown eye poked through the opening almost instantly. �Just because I listen to you about not killing doesn�t mean I can�t be strong!�

�Good job, fool.� Reaching over casually, Winston shoved the baby digimon back into the bag, zipping it up quickly. He glowered at the girl, who tried her best to look innocent by beaming sheepishly. �You brought Floramon to school and put her in your bag? Are you stupid or something? Someone could have seen her or you or - ow!�

Victor�s volleyball bounced back into his hand and he patted the bespectacled teen on the shoulder. �You should just chill. It�s Friday. No need to be so uptight.� He stretched his neck and grinned insanely as his body issued a series of cracks. �There�s no need to get your�� Winston gave him a look that said �don�t go there�. �� under garments in a bunch.�

�Well�� Folding his arms, Alexander rolled his eyes around as he thought. He shifted his bag from shoulder to shoulder and made some odd �tsk� sounds with his mouth. �� it IS a Friday, so I suppose skipping one meeting wouldn�t do that much harm.� He gave an apologetic half smile to Winston as he hefted his bag to his original shoulder. �To tell you the truth, I wouldn�t mind a break either.�

�Yay! Thanks Alex!� Isabelle chirped happily and vanished within seconds, presumably to meet up with her clique of friends. �I�ll make sure to repay you this favor sometime!� She paused at the bottom of the stairs with her finger on the tip of her lip.

The self - proclaimed genius continued his glaring at their leader. �_Ta ma de._ You give in too easily to girls. We should be investigating the cause of the portals, not going off on slumber parties and movies.� He muttered darkly, �Who knows when the next portal will open?�

�Just chill, Winston,� Alexander remarked offhandedly, but frowned at his last comment.

--------------

-Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored.-

Witchmon chanted to herself from the rooftop of the Mitsukoshi department building. Even the magnificent view of Taipei�s famed Warner Village didn�t spark any excitement in her. Over a thousand people swarmed the series of three story buildings, lining up to buy tickets, shopping at the nearby stores, or just chilling on a Friday afternoon.

Luna twirled around in mid air lazily, giving off a relaxed meow from the lack of gravity. The witch�s large, red claw stroked the black cat�s stomach and the little feline purred luxuriously. Despite the fact it was an April afternoon, Luna�s saffron eyes glowed disturbingly as she too gazed over the collection of people.

Opening her hand, what looked like a small vortex appeared in the palm and the magical digimon�s sapphire eyes peered into them, searching for something. Slowly, the jade figurine she had stolen a dozen or so days ago floated into view. Witchmon clenched the hand closed and snapped her fingers, instantly calling forth her gnarled, wooden broomstick, the Blue Comet. Crimson coated lips pursed themselves into a malicious smirk.

-It�s too boring here, isn�t it Luna?- The sorceress threw the Blue Comet from one hand to the other playfully as she floated in mid-air, still invisible. -What should I do?-

The witch�s cat had moved toward the floor of the roof and was gazing intently at a lone mouse grossly involved in some garbage. Cloaked by its owner�s magic, Luna pounced upon the unsuspected rodent, claws flashing white.

-That�s a good idea, Luna. And I know the perfect place.- Witchmon giggled madly as the magic from her digicore began channeling toward her broom. Blue Comet slowly emanated beryl light as the magician once more began to recite mystic phrases.

From her place on the ground, Luna gave her master a bloodstained meow.

--------------

At the very same movie village, teenagers from all over the city were congregating for one purpose: movies. The April sun gloated as the stubborn people beneath him refused to go into the air-conditioned houses that were only steps away.

Fanning herself with one hand, Isabelle chatted animatedly with her clique of friends as they waited impatiently in line for their tickets. She shifted her bag, unused to the extra weight in it, and whispered breathlessly, �So like, I heard they said the plot sucks, but Takeshi Kanehiro is soooo hot in it!�

Daphne, a tanned girl with long black hair streaked with gold, giggled at that comment. She turned her head to the side, then, as she came to a conclusion, leaned close to her friend. �Did you bring your digimon with you? Is it in your bag?�

Isabelle rolled her eyes while cooling herself with one of those miniature, hand held electronic fans. While fending off a group of crazed Igamon during the Christmas Invasion, Daphne had caught the entire Taipei team while on a blind date and was one of the few people who actually knew about the digimon. �Floramon isn�t an _it_, she�s a _she_. And yeah, she�s in one of her smaller forms, Tanemon.� She pointed a finger at her bright pink backpack.

�Oooh�! Can you take her out?� With puppy dog eyes, Daphne pleaded with her friend to see the �cute plant thingy�. She put her hands together, as if pleading to gods and moved them up and down. �Come on! I just want see her one more time. _Bai tuo la_!�

�As if that won�t attract attention? Remember last time at the department store?� The chosen girl put her hands on her hips, but giggled nonetheless at the thought of what happened last time when Floramon had asked to go to the department store. �Maybe after the movie. Besides, Winston got all pissy at me for even bringing her to school.� She giggled at a sudden thought. �It�s like he has PMS.�

�Maybe he does, considering he doesn�t seem interested in girls,� her friend suggested, eliciting a giggle from them both.

Inside the backpack, the baby plant digimon pouted and moved around uncomfortably. Being forced into small, enclosed spaces surrounded by sharp edged binders, books, and pens while slowly being microwaved to death wasn�t Tanemon�s idea of fun on a Friday afternoon. She pouted and whispered, �It�s all Winston�s fault.�

Indeed, it had been the resident genius� idea to keep their digimon around them 24/7 at baby stage, in case a portal opened around them while their digimon were away. While she liked her partner and all, the small green monster frowned at the idea of having to stick around Izzie all the time. �I�m not a fighter� this is so unfair.�

--------------

The loud trumpeting cry of a wooly mammoth blared through the air as the strangely cold sector of RAM Island. Several Mammon, a large, vaccine type mammoth digimon, slowly lumbered across the frigid, white lands in search of shelter.

Tonosama Gekomon�s region of the island lay toward the Northern part of the digital equivalent of the tropical island Taiwan. Although the real island rarely snowed, especially during April, the island was held together by great magicks and this somehow twisted the climate.

Bakumon, the devolution of the great Mammon and which looked like small pygmies, shivered from within the enormous herd of mammoths. Floating along like ghosts, they clung to the legs of their mother and fathers. The alpha Mammon trumpeted another blast and the herd followed.

Snow fell from the skies hard, making it difficult for anyone other than hardcore ice digimon to survive there. Several Yukidarumon sat in a circle, around what appeared to be a makeshift igloo. The suspicious silhouette of what looked like an IceDevimon could just barely be seen from a distance.

The white flecks of cold that fell from the sky lightened up and several of the mammoths looked confused. Lightning coursed through a small part of the sky and a gaping hole ripped through the sky. Several of the snowy digimon began running away in fright.

Unfortunately, the slow moving Mammon could only watch with hopelessness as one of them were pulled through the small hole that had been forcefully ripped open. Their leader, a SkullMammon, blared a horn of fury as one of the baby Bakumon flew through the portal, before the opening sealed itself over.

Not a few miles away, the king of the Gekomon and elder of water snored away in his grand home, oblivious of the small omens of the chaos to come. The snow continued to fall as tragedy had gone.

--------------

Bumping and pushing through a crowded Taiwanese market, two of the other chosen, Alex and Winston, attempted to find something in the Guang Hua Electronics Market. Even though many of the wares were fake or counterfeit, who really cared when you could buy it for a third of the original price? The team leader held Patamon like a stuffed toy, while Hagurumon attempted to make himself look like scrap pieces of gears, which wasn�t working too well, considering he was at least twenty times the normal size of gears.

After being shoved for about the twentieth time, Alex muttered to his friend, �Is this really worth getting everything cheap? I don�t like the idea of buying counterfeit stuff.� He �oof�ed again when another brutal consumer rushed by and jabbed him in the stomach. �Plus, my organs are being displaced.�

Winston growled and pointed toward a store a few booths away. �It�s just down there. Either way, you�re not the one buying anything. **I** am. You know, me? Not you? Me?� Pushing through, he nearly stepped on somebody�s game box, but rushed on without apologizing. �Come on, we�re here.�

�That was rude.� The taller boy glared at his teammate. �You should have apologized.�

�Whatever.� The scrawny teen then made a cough that sounded suspiciously like �boy scout� while handing his friend Hagurumon. Winston turned to the counter. -Uh, is there PS2 memory remains cards sold here?-

�No offense, but you seriously need to work on your pronunciation AND word use.� Alex handed his friend their partners and began bartering with the salesman while the nerdy boy folded his arms huffily and glared at the glass. -Excuse me sir, do you sell PS2 memory cards?-

While his friend wasn�t looking, Winston was muttering curse words in Chinese, a result from having hung out with Victor for too long. _�Ma de si. Ji wai. Kao yao. Ba ta gan diao.�_

While their partners bickered, the two child stage digimon chatted idly. While keeping very, very still, Patamon questioned, �I wonder why our partners are friends if they argue so much.�

Hagurumon spun around rapidly and earned himself a glare from Winston, then whispered his reply. �It�s a human thing. I know firsthand, since my human does it with all his friends. It�s their way of expressing friendship.�

�Really?� The orange mammal looked confused, then just shrugged. �Humans are so weird.�

�Obviously.� The collection of gears sighed. �Sometimes I wonder how humans managed to get to the top of this food chain thing they talk about in their history classes.�

--------------

�_But, I�I love you!�_

On the movie screen, Takeshi Kanehiro confessed his love for the love of his life. Several girls moaned and swooned as the screen closed up on the celebrity�s glittering, teary eyes. The female lead collapsed into his embrace and they kissed passionately onscreen.

Isabelle giggled as Daphne and Erica, a small, shy looking girl with short hair, did the same. _This is how it�s supposed to be,_ the girl thought to herself. _Not out day and night fighting wild digimon. This is where I belong._ The long haired girl took a sip of her diet coke and sighed as the kiss continued on. With her friends around and watching a simple romance movie, she actually felt normal for once.

By her partner�s legs, Tanemon stood very still as she peeked at the movie still half in the bag, munching on some candy her partner had bought for her. Tears streamed down her face as she vaguely put some more M&M�s in her mouth. _This is **so** sad_.

Peace was shattered within seconds. The earth began rumbling and the movie stopped projecting, as people began screaming loudly in panic. While not being common, memories of the 921 earthquake of Taiwan still struck terror in the hearts of the populace. Crouching down in terror, the moviegoers waited for the earthquake to stop. It didn�t.

However, Isabelle wasn�t panicking for quite the same reason. The instant the ground began rumbling, she noticed a certain something began beeping; her bright pink D3, which Tanemon was holding out to her with her mouth urgently. Inwardly, Isabelle wailed. _Not now! Not here!_

She turned to Daphne and whispered, �Cover for me. A digimon�s causing this.�

Her friend nodded and pointed toward one of the less populated exits. Sneaking away, Isabelle headed outside, where the savage Mammon was wreaking havoc.

--------------

Witchmon sat casually on one of the deserted seats of the Warner Village, enjoying the view with her black cat. Before her, the panicking Mammon gave another trumpeting cry of fury and obliterated _another_ building with a stomp of its enormous feet.

-Now this is more like fun. I can�t believe I was able to get a Mammon through my portal!- The witch chuckled spitefully as the ancient digimon continued to search for it�s missing child. -I wonder when the chosen arrive. And how they plan to deal with this.-

Everyone had evacuated Warner Village as the enormous creature continued destroying everything around him. Many of them had retreated to farther away buildings to hide and nobody was around. Needless to say, the sight of a gigantic wooly mammoth was enough to send any normal civilian running for their life.

Luna hissed as the chosen girl passed by, rapidly typing a message into her cell phone as the still devolved Tanemon attempted to keep up on her four legs. Witchmon put her large hand over the feline�s mouth and watched, still invisible.

-This should be amusing. The pacifist against the titan.-

--------------

�Oh, oh, oh�� Isabelle whimpered slightly as she saw the Mammon that was now stomping on cars in the parking lot. Sending the message, she said to her partner, �That�s a Mammon, a perfection digimon.� A troubled look crossed the girl�s face. �Even as Kabukimon, those aren�t good odds. There�s a good chance you�ll get hurt�� Watching her partner get injured was one of the things Isabelle truly couldn�t stand to see. It wasn�t common for her to hold Floramon back just to protect her.

�If I don�t do anything, think of all the people who will be devastated by this!� Tanemon turned toward her partner, her brown eyes serious. �We **have** to do something.�

Isabelle grimaced and retrieved her bright pink D3 from her bag. She pointed it at the baby digimon as the device flashed with light. �Try not to hurt it too much.�

The baby digimon nodded and bounced on forward. A pillar of radiance enveloped the small plant monster. �Tanemon evolve! Floramon!� Instantly, the digimon was back in her normal form, but this surely wasn�t enough. Drawing from more power from her worrying partner, the child digimon was swathed in bright light again.

�Floramon evolve!�, she called out once more. Traditional Japanese music flowed through the air as streams of bright pink flower petals surrounded the child flower. Robes of white and carnation clothed the tall human like digimon and her hands extended into sharp looking cherry blossoms. Finally, a white mask tipped with flower buds fitted itself upon the growing digimon. �Kabukimon!�

Somehow tip toeing at full speed, the dancer of purity began her assault upon the rampaging wooly mammoth.

--------------

Victor lay face down on his bed, snoring away, although it was only 4:30 in the afternoon. Tests, essays, quizzes, and staying up late for a text based RPG that required much thought gave the volleyball star too much strain with too little sleep. Thus, when Friday came, it was time for a little rest.

Beside him, Kotemon was practicing kendo with his partner�s punching bag as a target, looking disdainfully at Victor�s sleeping form. �I told him not to stay up that late and play games. What a fool of a young one.� He stepped forward and performed the typical kendo exercise of hit and retreat.

All too soon, the sea blue D3 began beeping rapidly and the chosen teen mumbled something into his pillow, his hand moving to shut it up. Kotemon got there first and snatched the D3 up, watching it intently. �It�s somewhere toward the south. I cannot tell with the geography of the city.�

Yawning loudly, Victor sat up and checked his cell phone, which was buzzing from a recent instant message from Isabelle. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and opened it.

-----

From: Jia Xing 0983-234-127

SOS! Mammon at Warner Village! Quick!

-----

�Man, this just gets worse and worse,� Victor mumbled as he picked up his digivice and cell phone, shoving both into his pocket as Kotemon waited at the door. �We�ll have to take the MRT, then, since this is too damn far away.�

�Well hurry UP then!� The child digimon flailed his arms as his partner moved far too sluggishly for his liking. �We won�t get there for the battle in time!�

--------------

Mammon shouted another cry of agony as its panic grew, not being helped by the attacks of deadly dancer. Its attempts to trample Kabukimon failed miserably as Isabelle�s partner nimbly jumped out of the way.

�It�s not working, Kabukimon!� Isabelle called out from the awning of one of the strip malls. �Mammon doesn�t seem to be affected by your attacks or talking!�

�Like I don�t know that already?� The fighter of purity shrieked as she jumped out of the way of the Tundra Breath attack, a freezing blizzard breath of sorts. In her place, nearby trees froze to the core, their leaves smashing into thousands of pieces as they fell to the ground. �Where the heck is Kotemon when I really need him?�

Her attention focused intently on dialing in more phone numbers, the long haired girl pressed the �call� button and waited. The girl screwed up her face in frustration as there was no reply on her phone. �I sent out some messages, but they might not have gotten them!�

�Cherry Blossom Storm!� The slits of Kabukimon�s masks turned dark and hails of razor sharp, cherry pink petals shot from her blossom like hands and enveloped the wooly mammoth - distracting it, but doing little to its thick hide. �Oh great, this is just loads of fun! Just what did I do to deserve bad karma?�

Moving its head fiercely, Mammon caught the dancer upon its tusk and trumpeted triumphantly, while Isabelle cried out. The mammoth turned to slam its prey into the wall and charged.

�Holy Shot!�

�Hyper Cannon!�

Two voices shouted in unison as a burst of white light and a ballistic missile burst from the sky and struck the enormous mammal, causing it to drop the pink kabuki. Firing his machine gun relentlessly, Winston�s Tankmon wheeled in rapidly while Unimon descended from the sky, his mouth wide open and glowing with more shining spheres as his two passengers disembarked. Kabukimon struggled before getting back up into a defensive position.

If she was relieved, Isabelle sure didn�t show it. Instead, the girl glared at her two cohorts. �Why the hell did you take so long! My partner could have been killed!�

Both Alexander and Winston cringed visibly at Isabelle�s wrath. She really put made the Chinese character of �poison� make sense. Her anger, something that rarely was experienced, had not been seen for a while. The smaller, bespectacled boy tried to ignore it with his flippant remarks. �Mammon�s a lot bigger than I imagined.�

The girl�s bright pink backpack soon collided with the back of Winston�s head.

--------------

The witch laughed silently to herself, high up in the sky on her broomstick. From what she could observe, it seemed like the Chosen digimon were only giving Mammon pinpricks and paper cuts with their attacks, not doing any real damage. She giggled as Kabukimon was tossed into the airborne Unimon and both went flying into the wall.

-Not that they could defeat it anyway�-

--------------

�Die, die, die, die, die!�

Tankmon chanted sadistically as he wheeled sideways swiftly, emptying his clips into Mammon�s thick hide. He narrowly avoided another blizzard breath from the ancient digimon and fired a Hyper Cannon point blank into the digimon�s hide. The recoil shoved him back and the cyborg�s anger grew as Mammon seemed unfazed.

�Why the hell would this Mammon be so ticked off?� The unicorn spun in mid air to avoid the ivory tusks. His horn flashed with light and he attempted to spear Mammon into his horn and failed miserably, getting swatted to the ground with a large paw. �Owwwww.�

Glowing with the orange aura of her Lion Dance, Kabukimon speedily jumped high and released another storm of cherry pink blossoms upon Mammon. Although the spirit of the lion took shape around her in a transparent form around her, the plant digimon felt none of the power or courage that was associated with the creatures. She landed and leapt away to avoid a tusk strike. �How would I know? It�s completely freaking berserk, it won�t listen to anything!�

The part of Tankmon that held Hagurumon�s consciousness suddenly clicked into action. Tankmon�s eyes flickered ever so slightly and he wheeled to safety. �That�s it!�

�What�s it?� Unimon asked, sending blast after blast of holy energy at the mammoth while high in the air. �Have you figured it out?�

�Mammon tend to travel in herds, with their children, the Bakumon!� The tank cyborg fired more bullets at Mammon, hoping to knock it unconscious. �It wants to find its herd or child or both!�

Quite suddenly, a figure jumped down from a rooftop, carrying a small luggage. �The cavalry is here!� Yashamon announced proudly, carrying a tiny, amazingly cute pygmy-like Bakumon in his arms. �And a little extra, too.�

--------------

-Digimon World Gate Open!-

Victor�s D3 glowed with light as the program opened upon the computer and Mammon, with its child, returned to the world of computers. Beside him, the demon man Yashamon sulked moodily before glowing and returning to his child stage. �I didn�t get to fight this time. Ouch!�

With delicate flowers for hands, Floramon dealt quite a punch. She glared poisonously at the kendo digimon as Alexander knelt and tended to a few of her bruises and cuts. �Just be quiet. You�re not the one who�s been impaled on a tusk.�

Radiating with the light of evolution, Patamon and Hagurumon chorused their agreement, both nursing several bruises from the aggressive Mammon�s attacks.

Isabelle had her hands folded across her chest and looked perfectly a calm, and eerily serene smile on her face. From a normal standpoint, nothing seemed wrong. To the guys, everything was wrong. Her blue eyes glittered in the sun. Isabelle coughed lightly.

Victor braced himself should she attempt to injure his ability to have children in the future.

�Relax, I�m not going to go ballistic in public,� Isabelle remarked sweetly, a nice, fake smile decorating her face. �I�ll save that for when we�re in private. By the way, I really have to congratulate you for coming so late � you know, if you had just been a few more minutes late, we could have died!�

Wrapping a bandage around his partner�s injured foot, Alexander sighed � something he had been getting used to the more he was around his chosen teammates again. �We don�t have much time, guys. Alright, Izzie, tell us what happened.�

Winston snorted. �She was probably too busy drooling over some retarded movie star.�

He received a swift kick to the shins. �I don�t appreciate insults to Takeshi.� If her eyes were burning, the temperatures measured would be hot enough to make a supernova look like a spark. Her blue eyes glittered dangerously as she continued. �As far as I know, the portal opened during the movie. My D-3 didn�t detect anything else, so I wouldn�t know.�

Flipping through a program he had snagged from a nearby booth, Victor checked the times. �Huh. That means the portal was opened around the same time as Monday and the few times before that.� He rolled the program into a ball and tossed it into a nearby trash can. �Which means these portals aren�t accidental.�

�The times between the portals are still erratic, but they all seem to open around 5 in the afternoon.� Winston rubbed his shin and glared at the long haired girl that had just kicked him. �Kind of convenient that we�re out of school when the portals open, don�t you think? Outside of the occasional midnight portal, it�s like someone�s purposely making us run wild goose chases and shepherding.�

Isabelle turned towards their de facto leader. �What do you think?�

Alexander ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. He really could be doing without this. �I�m not sure. I don�t know. I really don�t.� Burying his face in his hands, he just groaned. �I�m just kind of tired.�

�That settles it.� Putting both hands on her hips, Isabelle�s tone changed considerably. �We�re meeting online, later. Obviously, we�re too tired right now to care about this stuff. So let�s just get away before the media manages to catch �the mysterious savior kids�.�

Wordlessly, the four separated, completely unaware that a certain witch and feline were still watching them.

--------------

Dear Journal,

Things just keep getting worse and worse. I seriously don�t get why these portals are opening up, especially now, what with SARS and play practice going around. It�s started to get too stressful.

Oh well, on the other hand, we managed to get Mammon out of trouble relatively easily. Though some insurance companies will have a field day and Patamon will need some bed rest. Practically half of Warner Village and the adjoining buildings were destroyed today.

We�ve got to draw the line somewhere before this gets out of hand. Before innocent is spilled. That leaves one solution.

We�re going back to RAM Island.

- From the Journal of Alexander Li Ming Tsao

* * *

**Author�s Notes:**

Whoo, long entry. Probably why it took so long to write. Either that or the excessively long projects and essays I�ve been having to write since the end of Jade Diaries Entry 1. Or that I�m just a total slacker. Probably a combination of all three.

Why would Winston speak with broken Chinese if he�s a native Taiwanese person? Well, why do you think they speak perfect English? All four members of the Taipei team are ABCs, American Born Chinese, which means they were raised in the states, but were brought back to Taiwan later on, explaining their different nationalities and slightly American attitudes.

Warner Village and Guang Hua Electronics Market are actual places in Taiwan and the descriptions are somewhat accurate. Just that I moved their locations around slightly for plot purposes.

The 921 Earthquake was a surprise earthquake that occurred roughly 4 years ago, on September 21st, 1999, which killed dozens and left hundreds homeless, due to irresponsible house builders.


	3. Entry 3: On the Verge of Contradiction

DISCLAIMER: Digimon does not belong to me � it belongs to those big companies that I can�t name right off the top of my head. Nor does the Diaries Universe, which belongs to the glorious Lord Archive. However, the plot and characters in this story that don�t fall in the previous two categories DO belong to me, so nyak, you can�t steal them.

**Important Notes: **

� � denotes English

- - denotes Mandarin

* * *

Adolescence is difficult to define � it�s just one of those abstract things that nobody really knows how to give a meaning to. Some people simply call it a stage of transition between childhood and adulthood. Other believe that it�s a stage of life within itself, a time when the human mind establishes its roots and finds direction in life. Too many find it a period of time when mood swings, puberty, and teen angst decide to converge all at once. As a teen, many a person has found themselves confused �about themselves, about others, and most importantly, about the future. 

Having a digimon partner only compounded the troubles of any normal teen for Alexander. Not to mention what he had just found out about his grandfather�s will. But for now, he was enjoying himself on the grand piano situated in the school concert hall.

Going to the top prep school of Taipei City had its perks � the fact that the school body was consisted of the children of Taiwan�s elite only meant that funding was plentiful. At least plentiful enough for laptop computers to be issued to each of the 800 students and an array of musical instruments that would delight any music lover.

Fingers dancing across the keys, the teen closed his eyes as he immersed himself in improvisational jazz. He was a natural at music in general � teachers swore he positively glowed in the presence of instruments, be they a piano, a violin, or his voice. Not only was he skilled, but Alexander loved it. Changing directions, he began to play a distinctly Oriental styled piece, reminiscent of the days of the Ming Dynasty. There was simply nothing more he loved that music and he would have willingly spent the rest of his life in that music hall, basking the warmth of sound.

Of course, life was not generous.

-Young master, it�s time to awaken. You must begin to prepare for school.-

Hazily, Alexander looked up from the white keys and into the face of his maid at the door. Quite suddenly, he noticed he wasn�t sitting at a grand piano at all, but rather was lying in his bed. He blearily wiped the slumber out of his eyes.

-Of course it is. I�m up.-

Unfortunately for Alexander, it was time to return to face the music.

----------

Jade Diaries � Taipei Adventures 2003

By Raikun Tabris

Entry 3: On the Verge of Contradiction

----------

�Damn, that was one hard  
test. Jennings is attempting to sodomize us with American history.� Ryan, a middle sized, somewhat muscular teen, muttered as he stepped out of a classroom, clutching a pencil.

�You�re telling me?� Following him was Lawrence, a shorter, slighter teen with black, curly hair. �At least you took American history when you were in the states. All I had was crappy Asian textbooks.�

Alexander trailed behind, clutching books to his chest with both hands. He looked considerably worse for the wear, having been staying up late making up homework an studying for the time lost by his �extracurricular activities�. �I think you�re exaggerating a bit. It wasn�t **that** bad. It could have been a lot worse.�

�Well, we�re all sorry that we don�t have a perfect memory like you, Alex,� Kevin, the tallest of the bunch, a gangly, messy haired boy with glasses, muttered, slinging a backpack over his shoulder. �I thought that test was bull shit. So who else wants to hit the pool halls after classes?�

All of the teens unanimously raised their hands in perfect synchronicity � except for Alexander.

�Alex, you don�t want to come?� Lawrence queried, giving his long-time friend an odd look. �Come on, you�ve been rain checking for three weeks. It�s time to have some fun.�

Stifling a yawn, Alexander shrugged and gave him a lop-sided grin. �Sorry. Cross country practice. And then violin lessons.�

Ryan gave a heavy sigh. �He�s just too cool for us now. I guess he�s going to ditch us to be a super nerd and get into Stanford or something.�

�Now, come on, you guys are my best friends. I wouldn�t do that.� Alexander gave them a weak smile, but it failed to convince them. �Let�s go to lunch, I�m starved.�

It was so easy to lie these days. He�d been doing it to everyone around him � his parents, his friends, his teachers. Sports, SAT practice, violin rehearsals, community service; there were just so many viable excuses he could pick from these days. People were gullible and believed him. Good old Alexander would never lie. At least, pre-Digital World Alexander wouldn�t. He wasn�t quite so sure now. But he had obligations and responsibilities. And if there was one thing he knew, it was never to take those lightly.

Feigning a laugh at one of Kevin�s jokes, Alexander fathomed if he was living a life cushioned by his own lies.

----------

Witchmon groaned as she continued her scrying attempts. She had thus far failed in her attempts to find the fourth of the statuettes. Gazing across the room of the abandoned pagoda, she could make out the silhouettes of three jade figurines glinting in the sparse light that pierced through the wooden ceiling.

They stood together in a crescent pattern, in a circular clay holder. Upon close inspection, it seemed as though the holder was made to hold five more statues. In the shadows of the afternoon, she watched as they glowed eerily emerald. One of them was a simple statue of a man dressed in ceremonial robes wielding a majestic sword, while the other was a crone clasping a flower basket to her side. So simple in design, yet they harnessed so much power � malicious hunger flashed through her eyes as she fantasized on what she could do with the share of the power to be allotted to her.

Picking up a handful of pebbles in her claw like hands, Witchmon threw them into the stone basin of water, carefully watching over the shadows they cast. They swirled around the sides of basin intricately, like balls in a roulette wheel. Her eyes darted to and fro, carefully noting the location of each and every pebble. Once they settled, she sighed. Still nothing.

The scent of burning incense caught her attention and she realized what it meant. Witchmon closed her eyes and chanted, invoking the dark magic she had been taught. Before her eyes, space and time was torn asunder and reformed again in the shape of a blackened window. Through the veil of magic, the magical digimon could barely make out the outline of her mistress.

-What is your progress on the fourth, wench?-

Witchmon flinched as if she had been struck across the face. Although she was miles away on her own business, the Mistress� voice pervaded the room as if she were actually in the pagoda. Loud and unwavering, it was as if thousands of ants were crawling through her digicore. Hoping she wouldn�t be punished for anything this time, Witchmon got on one knee and bowed.

-It was difficult enough locating the last one, Mistress, with the priests guarding it with their mantras. I�m still having trouble ---

-Don�t waste my time with excuses and what I already know.- The mistress� voice echoed throughout the room chillingly. -I�m asking you of your **present** progress.-

Witchmon shivered. One more slip like that and she would be condemned to the Valley of the Damned � where she would be torn apart and consumed by the data of thousands of digimon trapped in purgatory.

-I have yet to find the location of the fourth, my liege.- She bowed lower, so that her mistress couldn�t notice the look of mixed hate and fear on her face. -It may be shielded by monks of similar power, or hidden far away from the surface.-

The figure in the veil paused visibly. -Very well. Go on with your search. But I have an additional task for you to complete.- Raising a robed arm, the silhouette levitated a glowing, emerald sphere and threw it through the portal. Witchmon let out a small �urk!� as the sphere smashed through her abdomen, throwing her against the wall of the abandoned temple. -Leave this in the area when you take the next figurine. And make sure the chosen it is designated to finds it.-

With that, the rift wavered and shut, leaving Witchmon scowling. She moved a hand to grasp whatever it was she was to deliver, only to find it missing. In its place was an ornately carved drinking gourd, large enough to stuff a single human head into it. It seemed plain enough � if you ignored the fact it was composed of pure jade. Along its side, the traditional symbol of balance � the yin yang � was formed out of carefully shaped edges. The balance between man and woman, between individual and group, and between light and dark.

The witch digimon smirked darkly. If she had her way, the chosen would be in for more than their fair share of dark.

----------

-The selected children have arrived!-

With a harkening cry and the convenient banging of a gong, the guardsman Dinohumon announced the arrival of the chosen children to Babamon�s imperial palace. Covering over three square kilometers, the old crone�s home was more along the lines of a small city than �a humble dwelling�, as she called it. Her servants, ranging from guardsman to kitchen slaves to handmaidens, hurried from one part of the citadel to the other, carrying out her orders.

The only thing that served to separate Babamon�s palace from any other Chinese historical location was the random and seemingly irrelevant placement of circuit boards and televisions around the place. Entire walls of machinery were obvious behind panes of elegantly designed glass, while computer chips and floppy disks were strewn about the desks of decorated wood.

�Hm, it�s nicer than I recall,� Alexander murmured as he looked around. �She must have done some remodeling after that last fight with Youkomon.�

�Heh, I remember that one.� Victor grinned broadly, slapping Winston on the back. �Remember when that Flymon suspended you from the ceiling and Yashamon had to save you?�

Shoving his hands in his pockets, the bespectacled teen scowled. �Gee, I don�t think I need a reminder of that.�

�Cats always land on their feet,� Isabelle remarked sweetly as she pushed through the doors to Babamon�s main court. �I think Winston always lands on his ass.�

�You are **so** witty. Did it take you two all night to think that up? Because, gosh, I wouldn�t have thought of something like that by myself!� Winston took on a falsely shocked tone, picking up more melodrama by the second.

Alexander sighed. �Both of you, stop sniping at Winston. Winston, stop watching late night stand up and lay off the Family Guy. Remember, respect � Babamon won�t even talk to us if we seem even slightly disrespectful.�

�Which would suck, considering we�ve spent the last two hours trekking here,� Victor added in helpfully.

�Wow, what a comforting thought.� Winston rolled his eyes. �Honestly, you�re on fire.�

�Hey, I try to be as optimistic as possible.� Victor flashed a grin as he pushed through the crimson curtains to Babamon�s personal room.

----------

-Are you sure that you know nothing of the portals, elder Babamon?- Bowing deeply, Alexander stepped back and awaited an answer. Seated before him on a Chinese-styled throne was the old crone Babamon, with her servants fanning her with palm leaves.

She spoke painfully slowly and in a dialect that made your ears strain to understand her. -What I know regards nothing of the matter you speak.-

�Sense you must make or insane we will go,� Winston remarked in English, so that only his fellow chosen and digimon noticed. Victor snickered, but was soon silenced by a look from Isabelle. It seemed that Medusa was not the only one whose glare could turn people to stone. Hagurumon couldn�t hide his grin � but then again, he looked like he was perpetually grinning anyway.

-Please excuse my fellow comrade, elder. He is young and disrespectful.- Alexander shot a look back at Winston over the back of his shoulder. -Do you perhaps think the other sages may know?-

A whole ten minutes passed before the crone gave her answer.

-Is it possible for me to know what others think? Mind reader I am not, so I must say no.-

�Wow, she�s really sharp,� Winston drawled casually again, not even pretending to hide the sardonic tone to his voice. A loud thwack and Winston murmuring was the result of that � Kotemon sheathed his bokken without moving his eyes from Babamon.

-I must apologize once more.- Alexander looked as though he was the single parent holding the crying baby in the crowded movie theater. -One last question, if I may.-

Ten more minutes passed.

-Yes.-

Winston opened his mouth, but was silenced again when Isabelle casually reached down and grabbed a sensitive section of his anatomy with her manicured hand. She smiled sweetly at the elder as she did so.

-Is it possible that this may be related to the Youkomon you summoned us to defeat years ago?-

Silence flooded the room. The mention of the digimon�s name was suffice. Babamon�s personal handmaidens, the Kabukimon, gasped as the Nohemon guarding the door held back a tremor. Her eyes hidden behind the graying bangs, Babamon�s expression was unreadable.

-Unknown the answer of that is to me.-

�Well, that was a well-used afternoon, wasn�t it?� Winston commented in an enthusiastic tone. �Thanks for nothing, you old hag!� With a quick bow, the teen grabbed the collection of gears that was his digimon and left the room with a broad smile pasted on his face like a cut out.

Alexander sighed and rubbed his forehead. -Thank you for your time, Elder.- He bowed and left, with Victor and Isabelle following closely behind with their digimon.

After she was sure they had left, Babamon sighed and called forth her messengers, the Swanmon. With a wave of her broom, they materialized in a flurry of white feathers. Her voice was considerably different now � not the eccentric dialect or the slow speaking.

-Go and find the rest of the elders. We must join together for another meeting.-

Babamon sighed as they disappeared into the sky. She hated lying to the Chosen. But it was for their own good.

Really, it was.

----------

-How was your day, son?-

Alexander turned around to see his parents sitting in the living room, watching television on the obscenely priced fifty inch plasma television. Both of them had their hands full juggling the five companies his family owned and rarely were even home to have dinner with their children. He used to be disappointed when they wouldn�t show for dinner when he was younger. Now he was just accustomed to the lack of parents at the dinner table. Alexander turned around to face them.

-It was alright. I received high marks on both the history exam and mathematics examination.-

Mr. Tsao, a tall man of gentle demeanor, smiled at his son�s achievements. Tall and broad shouldered, he successfully gave the image of a man who belonged at the top and commanded men with his every word. -Very good, son. Just as I expected of a son such as my own. How many hours did you practice violin today?-

-Two hours after school.- Alexander steeled himself as he lied through his teeth. The two hours he was supposed to be practicing had been spent in the digital world searching for Babamon. But what his parents didn�t know wouldn�t hurt them. -My tutor said that I will be good enough to audition for the national performances if I practice more.-

-Oh, that�s excellent!- Mrs. Tsao, a proud woman of beauty, practically whooped with joy. Although she had four daughters before her son, her time had been devoted mostly to her son. He was the center of her universe and she tried her best to push him to his highest. As any mother would, she wanted him to succeed and felt this was the best way to do so. -It�ll look great on your college application.-

-Of course, Mother.- As a sign of respect, Alexander bowed stonily. He hated the words �college application�. He, of all people, had more reason than most to hate those words, as of yesterday night.

His father laughed broadly, as if the words were merely a joke. -Why, Hsiung-lin, would he even need a college application? It�s not like he has to go college at all.- Mr. Tsao gestured towards his son, who was staring at the ground. -Why, it was written in my father�s will � Jianming is to inherit the companies once he turns eighteen.-

-Yes, Father, why would I?- Alexander played along, laughing with his father�s joke. Albeit, hollowly � but neither of his parents noticed.

Jokes were supposed to be funny � so why did Alexander feel like something horrible had just happened?

* * *

**Author�s comments: **

And so, I�ve officially discovered that prep school takes up more time than I expected. Expect more from Jade Diaries in the next month than you have in the past year. Apologies for the great delay.


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